Before You Start
To place a bid, your account needs to be set up:
• A payment method on file (AVP enrollment)
• Identity verification, if the seller requires it
• Funded Buying Power, if the auction requires it
Step 1 — Open the Vehicle Detail Page and Evaluate the Listing
1. Find a vehicle using search and filters on the Auctions page.
2. Select the vehicle card to open the Vehicle Detail Page (VDP).
3. Before you bid, read every section of the VDP. Bidding is binding, and what you do not catch here you cannot unwind after you win.
Each VDP section to evaluate:
• Pictures and media gallery — visual condition of the vehicle from multiple angles. Look for damage the seller did not call out in the structured fields.
• Disclosures — seller-published rules and notices specific to this listing. Disclosures contain the dollar amounts, deadlines, and conditions that determine your total cost and pickup window. The five Disclosures categories: Seller policies (general rules of business), Documentation details (title and paperwork conditions), Fee details (fees added at sale beyond the bid — doc, key, storage, lot, etc.), Pick-up instructions (yard hours, entry procedure, what to bring, storage cut-off), and Special announcements (listing-specific notes, defects called out beyond the structured fields, special handling notes).
• Structured condition data — Overview (VIN, color, odometer, keys), Engine and performance (engine, fuel, catalytic converter status, start status, transmission, drivetrain), Details (year, make, model, body), and Documentation (seller vehicle ID, documentation type, vehicle ID, license plate state and number).
• Seller info — seller name, pickup address, and Policies link.
• Buying info — listing expiration date and time.
• Bidding Panel — Current bid, auction status (Pre-bidding, Live, or Ended), and timer if Live.
WATCH OUT All vehicles on Autura Marketplace are sold as-is, and all sales are final. The listing details, structured condition data, and Disclosures are provided for your reference — they describe what the seller has reported but are not warranties. Once you place a bid, you are committed to that purchase. |
Step 2 — Place a Standard Bid
A standard bid commits you to buy the vehicle at the bid amount if no one outbids you before the auction closes.
Bidding panel — Place Bid view. Use the + and - controls to adjust your bid, then select Place bid.
4. Enter your bid amount in the Bid input field. The amount must follow the auction's bid increments (commonly $25).
5. Review the bid summary, including the bid amount and any platform fees that will apply if you win.
6. Select Place Bid to submit.
WATCH OUT Bids are binding. Once you place a bid, you are committed to paying for the vehicle if you are the high bid at close. Make sure you intend to buy at the price you are bidding. |
SUCCESS Bid placed. The vehicle card shows your bid status. You will receive a notification if you are outbid. |
Step 3 — Set a Max (Proxy) Bid
A max bid lets you set the highest amount you are willing to pay. The platform automatically bids on your behalf in the smallest increment needed to keep you winning, up to your max.
Bidding panel — Max Bid view. The platform auto-bids on your behalf up to your max, in the increments shown.
7. Select the Max Bid tab in the Bidding Panel.
8. Enter your max bid using the + and - controls. Bids must be in $50 increments.
9. Select Set max bid. The platform raises your bid automatically when someone else bids, up to your maximum.
NOTE If you keep getting outbid by small amounts seconds before close, that is proxy bidding by other buyers. Setting your maximum in advance is more effective than chasing the close. |
WATCH OUT A max bid is a binding commitment up to the maximum you set. If you win at any amount up to your max, you owe that amount. |
Editing or Removing a Max Bid
After you set a max bid, the Bidding Panel changes to show your current max and gives you two options:
Once a max bid is set, the panel shows Edit max bid and Remove options.
• Edit max bid — change your max to a higher amount. Bids must be in $50 increments. The new max overwrites the previous one.
• Remove — take your max bid back entirely. Your current standing bid remains active.
Confirmation modal when removing a max bid. Your current standing bid stays in place.
NOTE Removing a max bid does not retract your current standing bid. If you want to stop bidding entirely, remove the max bid first and remember that any standing bid you have already placed remains a binding commitment up to that amount. |
Step 4 — Use Multi-Bid
Multi-Bid lets you place bids on multiple vehicles at once. This feature is available to all buyers on Autura Marketplace by default — no special enablement required.
Multi-Bid selection on the Auctions page — select multiple vehicles, then Place bid to open the multi-bid modal.
10. On the Auctions page, select the checkbox on each vehicle you want to bid on, or select Select All to choose every eligible vehicle on the current page.
11. Select Place bid to open the Multi-Bid modal.
Multi-Bid modal — Place Bid view. The Minimum bid is the lowest amount you can offer across all selected vehicles.
12. Choose Place Bid or Max Bid in the modal.
13. Use the + and - controls to set your bid amount. Bids must be in $50 increments.
14. Review the estimated total (sum of bids plus applicable platform fees) using View breakdown.
15. Select Place bid (or Set max bid for a Max Bid). The platform applies your bid to every eligible selected vehicle.
NOTE The Minimum bid shown in the Multi-Bid modal is the highest minimum bid among the vehicles you have selected. If the Minimum bid feels too high, deselect the vehicles with the highest minimums to bring it down. (Select the Minimum bid tooltip in the modal to see this explanation in-product.) |
Tooltip explanation of the Minimum bid: deselect vehicles with higher minimums to reduce the amount.
NOTE If some selected vehicles are ineligible (restricted, already have a higher bid than yours, or you are banned from the seller), the platform places bids only on the eligible vehicles and tells you how many succeeded. |
WATCH OUT Multi-Bid is constrained by your Buying Power. If the total of your selected bids exceeds your available credit, the platform blocks the action. Increase Buying Power or reduce your selection. |
Step 5 — Pre-Bidding
Pre-bidding lets you place a bid before an auction goes live. Pre-bids are accepted from the moment a seller schedules an auction.
16. On the Vehicle Detail Page for a Pre-bidding auction, enter a bid or max bid the same way you would for a live auction.
17. Other buyers cannot see the current pre-bid amount or who is winning during the pre-bidding phase. You can see your own status on the Vehicle Detail Page — if you are the high pre-bidder, the page shows a Winning indicator.
18. When the auction goes live, the high pre-bid becomes the starting bid. If you were winning at pre-bid, you remain the high bidder until someone outbids you in the live phase.
During pre-bidding, you can see your own Winning indicator on the Vehicle Detail Page. Other buyers do not see this until the live phase begins.
NOTE You will be notified when an auction you have pre-bid on goes live, whether or not you are the current high bidder. |
Step 6 — Participate in Live Bidding
When the auction status is Live, bids are visible in real time and the auction is timed.
19. Watch the Current bid and the auction timer.
20. Place a bid or update your max bid as the auction progresses.
21. When the timer reaches zero, the auction closes. If you are the high bid, you win.
NOTE If bids come in near the timer expiration, the platform extends the timer automatically to ensure all serious buyers have a chance to respond. This is normal and applies to every live auction. |
Hybrid Auctions
Hybrid auctions are live auction events where multiple vehicles are sold in sequence, with both in-person and online bidders participating at the same time.
• Each hybrid auction event has a scheduled start time. Vehicles within the event go live one at a time as the auctioneer moves through them.
• You can pre-bid on hybrid vehicles before the event starts. Pre-bids carry into the live phase.
• Online bidding during the live phase works the same as standard live bidding. You see the current bid and place bids or max bids from the Vehicle Detail Page.
NOTE Hybrid auction vehicles can sell to in-person buyers without online competitors winning if no online bid matches the in-person bid. This is expected behavior for the format. |
A Few Honest Bidding Tips:
• Set a budget per vehicle before you bid. It is easy to chase a vehicle a few hundred dollars further than you meant to.
• Use a max bid in advance instead of chasing the close. Proxy bidding is more reliable than last-second bidding.
• Do not bid on vehicles you cannot pay for inside the payment window. The single most common mistake on the platform is winning more than you can pay for.
• Read the enforced condition fields carefully before bidding. They show what the seller has reported about the vehicle. Photos help, but the structured condition data is your primary reference. Remember that all sales are as is.
Bid Limits and Expanded Access
Your account standing affects your standard bid limits and whether you need to fund Buying Power before bidding. See Getting Started as a Buyer for the expanded-access overview and Buying Power & Deposits for how Buying Power works.
What to Do Next
When the auction closes and you are the high bid, you have won the vehicle.
• See Winning and Paying for the payment window and how to pay via AVP.
• See Pickup and After the Sale for what happens after payment clears.
Need Help?
If a bid fails to register, you cannot find Multi-Bid where you expected (Multi-Bid is available to all buyers and only appears from the Auctions tab inventory — not from the Vehicle Detail Page, the My Autura tab, or the Favorites tab), or you have a bidding question that is not answered here; the in-platform chat and your Buyer Account Manager are the fastest ways to reach us.
NOTE In-platform support chat is available — open the chat widget from inside Autura Marketplace for direct support. |
• Your Buyer Account Manager is your primary contact for bid limit questions or other expanded access requests.
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (888) 998-6085
• Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 AM – 5 PM Pacific Time